Aiming A Moral Compass

JESSE HAMILTONCourant Staff Writer

When the general in charge of the Marine Corps dropped by Camp Baharia recently to talk to the battalion called ``New England's Own,'' he asked how many had heard about the killing of Iraqi civilians at Haditha in November.

Fewer than half of the Marines in the audience, including many from Connecticut's Charlie Company who had traveled from their base in downtown Fallujah, raised their hands.

Most did not know that fellow Marines were accused of killing about two dozen civilians in Haditha, and that their leaders were being questioned about whether they had covered up the incident.

But it was clearly foremost in Gen. Michael W. Hagee's mind. Although he said he couldn't talk to them about the details because of the ongoing investigations, he made a speech to remind the Marines in Iraq that, even in the ugliness of war, there is a right kind of killing.

Hagee dusted off his experience commanding Marines in Vietnam as an example. He said that they had relied on the Geneva Conventions, the rules of engagement and the basic rule of law to be their guides.

``We pride ourselves on being a nation of law. We uphold the law. We do the right thing,'' he said. His challenge back then ``was to ensure that the Marines always understood that the Vietnamese were people, too, and we needed to take care of them. The battlefield is really quite similar between then and today. I need your focus on that.''

He said that it was important to talk about right and wrong and to speak out when other Marines stray.

``Most religions, if not all major religions, say it's wrong to kill. And yet, on the battlefield, we do that. I have to think through that, and I'm sure everyone thinks through that,'' Hagee said. ``On this battlefield, which I know is very complex, very dangerous, I'm quite proud of what Marines do.''

If the current investigations find wrongdoing by Marines, he said, they will be held accountable.

For Charlie Company and the rest of the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, there have been plenty of other things to think about besides the Haditha incident, which occurred months before they left the States. At Charlie Company's base, although battalion commander Lt. Col. Chris Landro came in for a meeting to reinforce Hagee's words on speaking out against immoral acts, Haditha hasn't been a favored topic of conversation.

Charlie Company has hit civilians in firefights -- taking them to the surgical hospital at Camp Fallujah for treatment. But Washington said he has no worries about the guys in his company getting involved in anything like Haditha.

``I think we keep a close eye on each other, because emotions run high,'' he said. The unit has absorbed the bad things that happened to it. ``We take it like a champ.''

Washington was at the speech because the company's leaders wanted him recognized. Under sniper fire in Fallujah, the 22-year-old had pulled a wounded comrade to safety.

Haditha might as well be on another continent. Fallujah is right out the front door.